Israel considering reopening key Gaza goods crossing

Israel is considering reopening the Karni goods crossing on the eastern Gaza border with Israel, Israel's Army Radio reported on Friday.

The opening of Karni will facilitate the transfer of food, medicine and humanitarian goods into the Gaza Strip, where Israeli troops are pressing ahead a broad ground offensive to rescue an Israeli soldier abducted by Palestinian militants on Sunday.

The final decision is expected to be made at the beginning of next week by Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, according to the report.

The Karni crossing, Gaza's main cargo terminal, has been closed since Sunday when Palestinian militants mounted a deadly attack on an Israeli army post near the Gaza border, killing two Israeli soldiers and kidnapping a third.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that daily necessities and fuel are running out in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli army continues its operation and shuts down Gaza border terminals.

The Israeli air forces have pounded the Gaza Strip since early Wednesday when the broad ground offensive was launched. The only power plant in the Gaza Strip and main water and electricity supply lines were destroyed in the air raids, leaving many Gazans without electricity and water supply.

The operation is the first major Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip since Israel quit the desert coastal strip last summer after 38 years of occupation.

Source: Xinhua